This year at Christmas, my husband and I wanted to decorate for the holidays. We bought a live noble fir tree from a Christmas tree lot. We got it home and set up in the stand. It was very strong smelling and made my eyes water and skin itch while I was helping him put it up. My son though, who has food allergies, didn't touch it but woke up from his nap with hives. I gave him Benadryl then we had dinner. He woke up the next morning covered in hives again. I gave him another dose of Benadryl and took him to daycare. He was fine throughout the day. I got him home that night and wanted to take a few pictures of him in front of the Christmas tree. Within minutes he had hives all over his face and were spreading over his body. At first we thought it was a reaction to a new food I had made, but after being around the tree we were convinced otherwise. The Christmas tree was removed from the house and we put up an artificial tree. Within a few days of the tree being gone, the hives stopped coming back. Has anyone else experienced something like this? Posted on 02/11/07, 12:27 pm

My sister and I are both allergic to Christmas trees; she can't be in a house with one. I can but I have to take my allergy meds if I am. We don't break out in hives but it's all upper respiratory.
It makes me very sad. This is the first year since my first Christmas when I haven't had a living tree.

I'm very allergic to Christmas trees....and we used to love to have a live tree. Pine is one of the worst trees going when it comes to allergies. Stick with the artificial. It's not worth the grief for your son or you during the holiday season.

Luckily neither of my children have this allergy. I don't suffer from breathing problems associated with Christmas trees, just hives. Due to this, I haven't touched a real Christmas tree since 1997. My arms were broke out in hives within 30 seconds of touching the last one I purchase.

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